The present invention is directed to a machine including a filling valve for supplying liquid into containers in a filling operation, the containers may be bottles, cans or the like and each filling valve includes a bottle centering member mounted in a control support block for the valve with the block including other valves for effecting various functions in the filling operation.
In filling valves of this type the centering member moves into holding engagement with the containers or bottles to retain them in position during a bottling cycle on a rotating filling machine and to seal the containers during the filling operation. As a result, a large number of filling valves are arranged next to one another around the circumferential periphery of such a rotary filling machine. In such a machine where the filling operation is effected under counterpressure it is unavoidable that bottle breakage occurs, and in the course of time such breakage can cause extensive damage to the centering members.